The tropical low that was sitting off the coast of Queensland intensified early Thursday morning into what has been named Tropical Cyclone Dylan. It was initially registered as a Category 1 cyclone, but it was upgraded to Category 2 shortly after.
The Bureau of Meteorology is now warning of destructive gusts up to 150km/h near the centre of the storm as well as heavy rain and storm tides. Dylan is currently barrelling its way towards land and is predicted to cross the coast in the coming hours somewhere between the towns of Ayr and Bowen, about 120km south east of Townsville.
Strong winds and waves have been battering locations along the Central Queensland coast since earlier today. The weather station on Hamilton Island in The Whitsundays recorded a wind gust of 130km/h at 6:23pm, while further south in Mackay there was a gust of 98km/h recorded just before 7pm.
Heavy rain has also been affecting various locations. In addition to strong winds, Mackay has received over 90mm of rain. Townsville has so far received around 38mm since midday today. The worst of the storm should be over by midday tomorrow as it weakens while heading further inland.
Thursday, 30 January 2014
Wednesday, 29 January 2014
Temperature shifts in both cities, potential cyclone threatens Queensland coast
Both Sydney and Jyväskylä have seen a return to fairly normal temperatures since the start of the week. After a few cool days over the weekend in Sydney, summery weather is back. It's the same but different for Jyväskylä. A relatively warm weekend made way for a cooler start to the week.
Temperatures topped 30C at Sydney Airport today for the first time since January 18. It hit 30.9C at 3:22pm. The daily minimum of 20.8C was also the highest since January 17. Reasonably strong northerly winds have been around for the past few days along with the warmer weather. Yesterday saw a strongest gust of 65km/h, the strongest since January 15.
Residents on Queensland's Central and North Coast are awaiting more information about a potential cyclone that will impact on Friday morning. A tropical low has been building in the Coral Sea for the past couple of days and currently it is predicted to briefly intensify to a Category 1 cyclone before crossing the coast near Ayr, south of Townsville. It should then weaken as it moves inland. Even if the storm remains a tropical low, strong winds up to 120km/h and storm tides can be expected along the coast between Cairns and Mackay. This would be Queensland's first cyclone of the season.
After a few relatively warm days in Jyväskylä, temperatures dropped back down below -20C this morning to -21.8C. Saturday's -5.9C was the warmest since the initial drop to colder temperatures on January 10, but today has only reached a high of -11.7C. Clear skies have also returned. Even with the additional cloudiness since last Friday, there was hardly any precipitation and the snow depth at Jyväskylä Airport is still only measuring 6cm. Jyväskylä may see snow this Saturday, but otherwise the depth doesn't look like it will be increasing much in the near future.
Temperatures topped 30C at Sydney Airport today for the first time since January 18. It hit 30.9C at 3:22pm. The daily minimum of 20.8C was also the highest since January 17. Reasonably strong northerly winds have been around for the past few days along with the warmer weather. Yesterday saw a strongest gust of 65km/h, the strongest since January 15.
Residents on Queensland's Central and North Coast are awaiting more information about a potential cyclone that will impact on Friday morning. A tropical low has been building in the Coral Sea for the past couple of days and currently it is predicted to briefly intensify to a Category 1 cyclone before crossing the coast near Ayr, south of Townsville. It should then weaken as it moves inland. Even if the storm remains a tropical low, strong winds up to 120km/h and storm tides can be expected along the coast between Cairns and Mackay. This would be Queensland's first cyclone of the season.
After a few relatively warm days in Jyväskylä, temperatures dropped back down below -20C this morning to -21.8C. Saturday's -5.9C was the warmest since the initial drop to colder temperatures on January 10, but today has only reached a high of -11.7C. Clear skies have also returned. Even with the additional cloudiness since last Friday, there was hardly any precipitation and the snow depth at Jyväskylä Airport is still only measuring 6cm. Jyväskylä may see snow this Saturday, but otherwise the depth doesn't look like it will be increasing much in the near future.
Sunday, 26 January 2014
Happy Australia Day
Australia Day 2013 was a fairly cool day in Sydney. I mentioned on Thursday that it needed to top 22.9C to be warmer than 1997, but it just fell short with 22.8C. We have to go back even further to find a cooler January 26. It turns out today was actually the coolest Australia Day since 1965, when it only reached 20.2C.
Around 3am this morning the temperature hit a low of 16.6C. If we look at past results for minimums on January 26, we have to go back to 1976 to find a lower figure, when it dropped to 13.6C. Today's minimum was the lowest of the month so far, and will probably remain that way. It was also the lowest temperature since December 7 last year and the lowest January temperature since January 13 2012.
Not surprisingly, both the minimum and maximum were well below the long term average. The graph below shows Australia Day temperatures at Sydney Airport since 2009, as well as the long term average.
Despite the cooler temperatures, rain did stay away for almost the whole day. Sydney Airport recorded 0.6mm around 4am. This raised the monthly total to 11.2mm, a total which is still the lowest since at least 2004. Observatory Hill recorded a brief shower before 4.30pm, but there weren't any significant falls in the Sydney region. The BoM forecast currently supports the idea of no further falls for the remainder of the month with warm and sunny conditions expected during the coming week.
Around 3am this morning the temperature hit a low of 16.6C. If we look at past results for minimums on January 26, we have to go back to 1976 to find a lower figure, when it dropped to 13.6C. Today's minimum was the lowest of the month so far, and will probably remain that way. It was also the lowest temperature since December 7 last year and the lowest January temperature since January 13 2012.
Not surprisingly, both the minimum and maximum were well below the long term average. The graph below shows Australia Day temperatures at Sydney Airport since 2009, as well as the long term average.
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| Australia Day temperatures at Sydney Airport for the period 2009-2014 plus the long term average |
Despite the cooler temperatures, rain did stay away for almost the whole day. Sydney Airport recorded 0.6mm around 4am. This raised the monthly total to 11.2mm, a total which is still the lowest since at least 2004. Observatory Hill recorded a brief shower before 4.30pm, but there weren't any significant falls in the Sydney region. The BoM forecast currently supports the idea of no further falls for the remainder of the month with warm and sunny conditions expected during the coming week.
Thursday, 23 January 2014
-25C barrier broken in Jyväskylä, rain on the way for Sydney
Well I'm just going to say it. It's bloody cold here in Jyväskylä. Temperatures dropped below -25C this morning for the first time this winter. The low of -26.0C just before 9am is now the lowest minimum of the month. Temperatures dropped from about -15C early yesterday afternoon to -23C last night, before dropping further in the early hours of today.
With today's top of -16.5C, there have now been 8 consecutive days entirely below -10C. Tomorrow should be number 9 before it warms slightly on Saturday, perhaps as high as -8 or -9C. Currently just after 6pm it's hovering around -25C.
Having a look at previous years, this January already appears as though it will be colder than the 2009, 2011 and 2013 editions. If current forecasts stay true, it's also likely to be colder than the January of 2012. By the end of the month, only January 2010 will have had more days entirely below -10C. It's quite an achievement considering the first 10 days this year had averages ranging from -1.0C to 1.4C. No other January since 2009 has had a 10 day period warmer than this year. It has been a complete turnaround since then though. From January 11 to 23 the averages have ranged from -19.4C to -12.0C.
Intermittent showers have continued in Sydney over the past few days. Temperatures have been as predicted also with today's 26.0C being the highest since Monday. Yesterday only reached a high of 23.5C. Despite the showers, there haven't been any substantial falls. Yesterday's 3.4mm is the highest daily rainfall so far this month. Also, most of the rain that has fallen has done so during the evening or late at night.
Tomorrow may see a change to that though. A trough moving east across New South Wales should generate falls throughout most of the state. The Bureau of Meterology is currently predicting Sydney to see falls between 4 and 15mm as rain develops during the afternoon.
At the moment, Australia Day on Sunday will be cooler than average. The predicted top of 23C is a few degrees below the long term average of 26.7C. If it only reaches as high as 24C, it will be the coolest Australia Day since 1997 when it only got to 22.9C.
With today's top of -16.5C, there have now been 8 consecutive days entirely below -10C. Tomorrow should be number 9 before it warms slightly on Saturday, perhaps as high as -8 or -9C. Currently just after 6pm it's hovering around -25C.
Having a look at previous years, this January already appears as though it will be colder than the 2009, 2011 and 2013 editions. If current forecasts stay true, it's also likely to be colder than the January of 2012. By the end of the month, only January 2010 will have had more days entirely below -10C. It's quite an achievement considering the first 10 days this year had averages ranging from -1.0C to 1.4C. No other January since 2009 has had a 10 day period warmer than this year. It has been a complete turnaround since then though. From January 11 to 23 the averages have ranged from -19.4C to -12.0C.
Intermittent showers have continued in Sydney over the past few days. Temperatures have been as predicted also with today's 26.0C being the highest since Monday. Yesterday only reached a high of 23.5C. Despite the showers, there haven't been any substantial falls. Yesterday's 3.4mm is the highest daily rainfall so far this month. Also, most of the rain that has fallen has done so during the evening or late at night.
Tomorrow may see a change to that though. A trough moving east across New South Wales should generate falls throughout most of the state. The Bureau of Meterology is currently predicting Sydney to see falls between 4 and 15mm as rain develops during the afternoon.
At the moment, Australia Day on Sunday will be cooler than average. The predicted top of 23C is a few degrees below the long term average of 26.7C. If it only reaches as high as 24C, it will be the coolest Australia Day since 1997 when it only got to 22.9C.
Monday, 20 January 2014
Dry weather comes to an end
Brief showers early this morning and later in the evening have helped to ease the relatively dry start to the year in Sydney. With the first 20 days of the year completed, it's actually the driest start to a year at Sydney Airport since 1965. The current rainfall for the month stands at only 3.0mm, 1.8mm of which fell today. In 1965 only 2.7mm had fallen at the same point.
If we look at how rainfall accumulated during each January in the 10 year period between 2004 and 2013, plus the first 20 days of 2014, we get a graph like the one below.
The red line at the bottom of the graph representing 2014 is more than 15mm below 8 of the past 10 years. It's worth keeping in mind that the figures for 2004 to 2013 are measurements made during the 24 hour period to 9am on each respective date. 2014's results are based on 24 hour calendar day periods. The long term average rainfall for January is 94.6mm, so unless there are some heavy falls in the next week and a half, it looks unlikely for the monthly rainfall to get close to that mark.
Temperatures over the weekend were slightly below average. After 4 consecutive days above 30C, 25.5C and 26.2C might have been welcomed by some. The next few days should be a little cooler than average as well. During the next 7 days a maximum of only 26C is forecast. There will probably be some more rain around as well, although no significant falls are predicted. Of course, it's quite possible that heavy and isolated falls may occur during these periods of unsettled weather.
With the recent drop in temperatures, Jyväskylä has also been experiencing an extended dry spell. Of the first 9 days of the month, precipitation fell on 8. After that, in the 10 days of January 10 to 19, only 0.1mm was recorded on January 14. However, like Sydney, precipitation has been recorded in Jyväskylä today. 0.9mm had fallen by 5pm taking the monthly total to 12.2mm.
Temperatures defied the forecast once again on Saturday as -22.1C was recorded, the first day below -20C for the winter. You have to go all the way back to March 22 last year to find the previous instance. The minimums from Sunday and today followed Saturday's example, dropping to -23.0C and -23.2C respectively. Saturday January 18 also took the lowest daily maximum of the month so far with a top of -14.7C.
As it was a few days ago, a similar combination of cold temperatures and sun looks set to continue for the time being.
If we look at how rainfall accumulated during each January in the 10 year period between 2004 and 2013, plus the first 20 days of 2014, we get a graph like the one below.
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| Cumulative rainfall at Sydney Airport for each January during the period 2004-2014 |
Temperatures over the weekend were slightly below average. After 4 consecutive days above 30C, 25.5C and 26.2C might have been welcomed by some. The next few days should be a little cooler than average as well. During the next 7 days a maximum of only 26C is forecast. There will probably be some more rain around as well, although no significant falls are predicted. Of course, it's quite possible that heavy and isolated falls may occur during these periods of unsettled weather.
With the recent drop in temperatures, Jyväskylä has also been experiencing an extended dry spell. Of the first 9 days of the month, precipitation fell on 8. After that, in the 10 days of January 10 to 19, only 0.1mm was recorded on January 14. However, like Sydney, precipitation has been recorded in Jyväskylä today. 0.9mm had fallen by 5pm taking the monthly total to 12.2mm.
Temperatures defied the forecast once again on Saturday as -22.1C was recorded, the first day below -20C for the winter. You have to go all the way back to March 22 last year to find the previous instance. The minimums from Sunday and today followed Saturday's example, dropping to -23.0C and -23.2C respectively. Saturday January 18 also took the lowest daily maximum of the month so far with a top of -14.7C.
As it was a few days ago, a similar combination of cold temperatures and sun looks set to continue for the time being.
Friday, 17 January 2014
Cold weather to continue in Jyväskylä, heatwave comes to an end in Australia
The current cold snap in Finland should continue for the time being. Since Sunday January 11 the warmest temperature has been -9.8C, while the current monthly low of -18.3C came this morning. It only reached a top of -13.3C today. The -20C barrier still hasn't been broken yet this winter, but it might come close on Monday morning.
Despite a minimal snow depth of 3cm, the cold temperatures and resulting frost have helped to create a wintry landscape in Jyväskylä. The lower temperatures have also reduced levels of slipperiness on paths and roads. An unusual sight was witnessed yesterday near Salo in the country's south; ice flowers on a frozen lake. Jyväskylä looks something like below.
It's quite remarkable to think that the temperature difference between Jyväskylä and some Australian locations in the past few days has been 60C. The heatwave affecting the south east of Australia finally came to end this evening. The cities of Adelaide and Melbourne, along with regional centres elsewhere in South Australia, Victoria and also New South Wales, have sweltered since the beginning of the week.
A few stats from this week include Melbourne's daily maximums from Tuesday. They read 42.8C, 41.7C, 43.9C and 43.9C. This was the first time ever that Melbourne had recorded 4 days in a row above 41C. Adelaide saw 5 days at 42C or higher with readings since Monday of 42.1C, 45.1C, 43.7C, 44.2C and 42.7C. Tuesday's 45.1C was the 3rd highest ever recorded for Adelaide.
As I mentioned in my previous post, Sydney had been predicted to avoid the worst of the heat, and that's exactly what happened. The Airport has posted 3 consecutive days above 30C since Wednesday, but with a top of 31.3C, it's nothing compared to Adelaide and Melbourne. As is normal, the city's western suburbs have had it worse than coastal areas. Penrith has seen 4 consecutive days above 35C since Tuesday with a maximum of 39.2C on Wednesday. It'll be another warm day in Sydney tomorrow with 31C predicted again.
Despite a minimal snow depth of 3cm, the cold temperatures and resulting frost have helped to create a wintry landscape in Jyväskylä. The lower temperatures have also reduced levels of slipperiness on paths and roads. An unusual sight was witnessed yesterday near Salo in the country's south; ice flowers on a frozen lake. Jyväskylä looks something like below.
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| Puistokatu in Jyväskylä on January 17 |
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| Ice crystals on a window as the sun sits low on the horizon around 12:30pm |
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| There isn't a lot of snow around, but it is still quite frosty |
It's quite remarkable to think that the temperature difference between Jyväskylä and some Australian locations in the past few days has been 60C. The heatwave affecting the south east of Australia finally came to end this evening. The cities of Adelaide and Melbourne, along with regional centres elsewhere in South Australia, Victoria and also New South Wales, have sweltered since the beginning of the week.
A few stats from this week include Melbourne's daily maximums from Tuesday. They read 42.8C, 41.7C, 43.9C and 43.9C. This was the first time ever that Melbourne had recorded 4 days in a row above 41C. Adelaide saw 5 days at 42C or higher with readings since Monday of 42.1C, 45.1C, 43.7C, 44.2C and 42.7C. Tuesday's 45.1C was the 3rd highest ever recorded for Adelaide.
As I mentioned in my previous post, Sydney had been predicted to avoid the worst of the heat, and that's exactly what happened. The Airport has posted 3 consecutive days above 30C since Wednesday, but with a top of 31.3C, it's nothing compared to Adelaide and Melbourne. As is normal, the city's western suburbs have had it worse than coastal areas. Penrith has seen 4 consecutive days above 35C since Tuesday with a maximum of 39.2C on Wednesday. It'll be another warm day in Sydney tomorrow with 31C predicted again.
Monday, 13 January 2014
Heatwave in Australia moves east, real winter hits Finland
Many locations throughout Australia will experience intense heat in the coming days. The centre and south-east of the country will be the worst affected with the capitals of Adelaide and Melbourne predicted to see daily maximums at 40C or above for the next 4 days.
The climb in temperatures is due to northerly winds being generated by a high pressure system sitting off the east coast of Australia. Unfortunately it won't be surprising to see severe bushfires in the coming days in South Australia, Victoria and inland New South Wales as a result of the soaring temperatures.
Similar conditions were already seen in Perth during the weekend. Perth Metro's weather station on Saturday saw a top of 43.3C and Sunday reached 41.0C. 43.3C was the hottest January temperature measured at the station since records began in 1994. It was also the highest temperature since December 26 2007 when it reached 44.2C. A bushfire claimed one man's life yesterday 25km west of the city.
Typically Sydney escapes the heat seen in Adelaide and Melbourne during these events thanks to its location, which avoids hot inland northerly winds, and this time will be no different. Temperatures there are only predicted to reach 28C and 29C during the next few days. I highly doubt anybody would complain about that though considering there'll only be sun, sun and just a little bit more sun.
Meanwhile in Jyväskylä, the big winter jacket has finally made an appearance. Locations throughout Finland are seeing more typical winter conditions at last. Temperatures in Jyväskylä dropped below -15C in the last hour for the first time this winter. I've brought back a table I posted about a month ago, this time updated with today's achievement.
The 5 day forecast for Jyväskylä currently shows nothing warmer than -14C and it could drop as low as -20C by tomorrow morning. Locations in the far north have seen it go below -30C in the past 24hrs and even Helsinki and Turku are experiencing temperatures below -10C.
The climb in temperatures is due to northerly winds being generated by a high pressure system sitting off the east coast of Australia. Unfortunately it won't be surprising to see severe bushfires in the coming days in South Australia, Victoria and inland New South Wales as a result of the soaring temperatures.
Similar conditions were already seen in Perth during the weekend. Perth Metro's weather station on Saturday saw a top of 43.3C and Sunday reached 41.0C. 43.3C was the hottest January temperature measured at the station since records began in 1994. It was also the highest temperature since December 26 2007 when it reached 44.2C. A bushfire claimed one man's life yesterday 25km west of the city.
Typically Sydney escapes the heat seen in Adelaide and Melbourne during these events thanks to its location, which avoids hot inland northerly winds, and this time will be no different. Temperatures there are only predicted to reach 28C and 29C during the next few days. I highly doubt anybody would complain about that though considering there'll only be sun, sun and just a little bit more sun.
Meanwhile in Jyväskylä, the big winter jacket has finally made an appearance. Locations throughout Finland are seeing more typical winter conditions at last. Temperatures in Jyväskylä dropped below -15C in the last hour for the first time this winter. I've brought back a table I posted about a month ago, this time updated with today's achievement.
The 5 day forecast for Jyväskylä currently shows nothing warmer than -14C and it could drop as low as -20C by tomorrow morning. Locations in the far north have seen it go below -30C in the past 24hrs and even Helsinki and Turku are experiencing temperatures below -10C.
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